‘We Must Focus on Leni’—Trillanes

Former Sen. Trillanes, Vice President Leni Robredo and former President Noynoy Aquino. File photo from the Office of the Vice President, published in rappler.com.

by Wilfredo G. Villanueva

In jail, he repurposed himself. From someone fighting the system by force of arms calling bloody Katipunan to mind, he ventured into democratic discourse, softening his image, turning sword to ploughshare. He won a Senate seat campaigning from prison with his relaunched brand—dead-center message delivery almost in martial cadence, swoonworthy to women, holy terror to his enemies.

“Many things have happened to me,” said former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, now Prof. Trillanes of the University of the Philippines and (soon) Ateneo de Manila University, “that made me experience the loving presence of God. Many impossible things happened to me that I could not explain.” In the heat of battle when all seemed lost, he discovered God for whom nothing is impossible. “Unang-una, despite the worst of Duterte, andito pa rin tayo. Somehow you should feel God’s hand in all of these. Grabeng evil ang pinapalawig ni Duterte, pero mas lalong dumadami ang naliliwanagang tao.”

“Last September lang, maliwanag yung order to arrest me sa presidential declaration ni Duterte, pero sa awa ng Diyos, hindi naman natuloy.” (This was when President Duterte nullified his amnesty on the pretext that his application for amnesty could not be found by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This, despite numerous documentary and testimonial evidence proving otherwise. He led the Oakwood mutiny in 2003, and the Manila Peninsula Hotel rebellion in 2007. He was granted amnesty in 2010 in the administration of former President Noynoy Aquino. Instead of jail redux, however, he was overwhelmed by the spontaneous show of public outrage and support from civil society, stymieing the arrest. The closure of his near-miss from detention was when Judge Andres Soriano of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 declined to issue a warrant of arrest upon a thorough review of the case which took a few weeks. All throughout the ordeal, fellow oppositionists led by Vice President Leni Robredo, and private citizens kept vigil round-the-clock, celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and prayed mystery upon mystery of the Holy Rosary in the Senate and in front of the building housing the court in Makati city hall compound. Faith does move mountains. People believed in Divine intervention and it came. As simple as that.)

“Kaya ang fall back option nila is Sara for president in 2022, that’s the emerging battleground. Pero ready pa rin tayo kung mag nationwide martial law siya. We should know when it’s time to close ranks again.”

Members of Stand Up for God Rosary Group interviewed Prof. Antonio Trillanes IV. From left to right: Marie Bartolome, Elsa Tolentino, Prof. Trillanes, Renée Villanueva, the author, and Frine Cristina Sanchez.

And so one balmy afternoon several days ago, we found him as an ordinary citizen holding office in the Magdalo headquarters in Quezon city. My colleagues Marie Bartolome, Elsa Tolentino, Frine Cristina Sanchez and Baby my wife from the Stand Up for God Rosary Group were to spend a good two hours of chit-chat while partaking of our pasalubong of pancit palabok, pork barbecue and water. No soda, please. The senator-turned-professor is watching his diet. He wore a well-pressed white shirt, tucked in, sealing his reputation as President Duterte’s exact opposite, and not only in manner of dressing.

“If hindi siya mananalo, giba na ang bansa natin, ‘di ba? Another six years of this is not only unbearable, it is something that this country won’t survive.”

“Sa opposition, it’s only VP Leni who has the national stature to be a mainstream candidate, remember she has done it before. Sabi ng iba, she’s too soft daw, she would be a pushover. No. She can be strong when she needs to. Pag kampanya naman, she knows how to be a rock star. Nakita natin ‘yan nung 2016. Magaling siya.”

“Besides, maraming inherent strengths si VP,” Trillanes continued. “Unang-una yung unstained public reputation niya, walang dumidikit na charges kahit na fake news. Then yung kanyang stability under pressure. Mahirap maging opposition in these times. Pero she does that with a smile, with a quiet and charming demeanor. But if she needs to be indignant, laban siya.”

“Recall in your mind when Duterte just won in 2016, you can feel the euphoria, the frenzy. People were fanatical about him because they thought he was genuine. They were clinging on to the hope that this guy is their savior. Maraming nakikipag-away na mga kamag-anak, kaibigan at kakilala natin para sa kanya. That’s what we were up against back then,” he replied.

“Fast forward sa ngayon, nararamdaman n’yo ba yung change sa pulso ng tao? Marami nang naliliwanagan. Marami nang nanlalamig sa kanya. Nagbago na ang ihip ng hangin, and the last elections is the concrete manifestation of the fact that the he is no longer the promising cult figure he once was in 2016.”

“As I mentioned, the last elections showed us our ranks are growing. Aside from that, whereas before tahimik at takot, ngayon may boses na at palaban pa. Maraming nag-volunteer. In our subdivision, in all three Vote Counting Machines, the first eight places went to Otso. Sweep yun! Apparently, ganun din ang resulta sa ibang mga subdivisions. Panalo tayo sa middle class at sa Bicol. Competitive din ang results sa regions 3, 4, 6 at 7. Sa NCR, hindi na hawak ni Duterte. Those are scenarios that you wouldn’t have seen three years ago.”

“Cult figure na siya in 2016 but because of his own undoing, and our collective efforts in pushing back, nabasag yung Duterte myth. Ngayon ang starting point natin for 2022 is a lot better. Magiimprove pa yan because he continues to do stupid things. We’re not up against a cult figure anymore. We’re just up against a traditional politician. It’s now more doable (winning in 2022), and we should be encouraged,” he said. “So, let’s not be too hard on ourselves. Let’s give ourselves some credit,” Trillanes said.

“Half-full na ulit ako, said Marie Bartolome. “Half-empty na ako, papunta na dun.” She, all of us, were euphoric with the lecture from the newly-minted professor. Like me, Marie campaigned for Cory Aquino in 1986, was a part of EDSA One. We’re both millenyors, but still full of spunk. (As an aside, when we were young, our parents worried for us when we joined rallies in Marcos time. Now that we’re wise for our years, it’s our children who worry for us.)

Elsa Tolentino cried copious tears when Otso lost. Really cried. “Mas nae-enlighten ako ngayon,” she said with a sigh and a smile.

I said, “Bawal magkasakit, may laban pa tayo!” We all laughed, cognizant of the creak in our bones and the belabored breathing which Duterte brings.

Trillanes again: “Ngayon nareward ang efforts nyo, may impact pala, yung pagpanalo sa middle class at sa pagtaas ng boto ng mga Otso candidates all over the country, that would not have happened if it were not for the tireless volunteers. Hindi po ba victory ‘yun?”

Temperatures are below 30 degrees Celsius nowadays with the onset of the wet season. It’s cool by Philippine standards. Our lungs drew deeply into the late afternoon air as we spilled into the street from the interview, our stomachs satisfied with the pancit and barbecue, our spirits satisfied with a delightful lecture on PHL Democracy 101 by Professor Sonny Trillanes.

I ain’ t laughing yet TSoH, not because of Micha first and introductory comment but from Pinas Thoughts daw). This could be a cheap booby trap aimed to elicit laughter, a product from the genius of fake news, rectal watery detritus and constipated fecal matter.

Remember tweeto wakatono ? I remember not so long ago he posted this piece right here in TSoH.

October 3, 2018 at 6:21 pm

We, concerned faculty members, staff, students and alumni of the National College of Public Administration and Governance and the University of the Philippines strongly condemn and oppose the selective application of the rule of law and the singling out of the opposition to the Duterte Administration. The recent revocation of the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the order for his arrest are illustrative of the blatant attempt by the Duterte administration to stifle dissent and suppress opposition.

This is just the latest in an increasingly long list of repulsive acts which not only targeted the opposition but also weakened and disregarded the independence of institutions and the sanctity of the checks and balances among the three branches of government. The latter includes the arrest and incarceration of Senator Leila de Lima on the basis of seemingly trumped-up charges (Legislature), the unseating of Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno based on constitutionally-infirmed grounds (Judiciary), the continuing insults on Vice-President Leni Robredo and other sinister efforts to undermine her position as the legitimate constitutional successor. These acts are dictatorship in progress.

The revocation and arrest order are also seeming diversionary moves to cover up for, or divert attention away from, the many issues and ‘failures’ of the Duterte administration, among which are: Its inability to stop the alarming rise in the prices of prime commodities and the cost of living The brutal killing of thousands of Filipinos, most of them poor, on mere suspicion and on the say-so that they are drug users and “nanlaban”

The abuse in the appointment to high government posts of even incompetents and misfits who merely contributed to the presidential campaign Zero corruption as a show of publicly shaming political appointees and then recycling them to less visible but no less lucrative positions in government The erosion of public values through Duterte’s verbal abuse of his many enemies, real or imaginary, as well as his continuing assaults on religion, women, and institutions
The personal and unilateral foreign policy shift to China, resulting in unwittingly surrendering our territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea

We therefore enjoin all principled and patriotic Filipinos to oppose this latest act of the Duterte administration and to be continually vigilant against the latter’s intensifying assault on human rights, rule of law and democracy.

We urge the protection of public institutions and public servants from partisan politics and undue interference so that they can assert their independence, be accountable public servants and not the trolls of the powers-that-be.

Let us help in restoring the majesty of law and the nullification of the revocation of amnesty of Sen. Trillanes IV. We urge all Filipinos to rally behind our crusade for good governance.
We also commend the Senate of the Philippines for maintaining its independence and protecting the dignity of democratic institutions in the country.

When you open the link to the down down parts, did you see any name, signatory from what may others and patriots think as coming from the College of Spayed and Castrated Canines. UP and the country might have been better of without such malinstitution.

“We also commend the Senate of the Philippines for maintaining its independence and protecting the dignity of democratic institutions in the country.”

Who else, who else? BUT ONLY and ONLY BECAUSE of STEADFAST performance of Senator A T IV. Where else? WHERE ELSE can A T IV can serve the country BEST after
the total demise of the Senate? Where he can teach the young and the uncorrupted, where he can teach PUBLIC POLICY — that sharp scalpel of a course that DISSECTS “what government does or fails to do.” No student sleeps or snores in blissful IGNORANCE and obeisance in UP NCPAG.

Sup if I may with due respect and courtesy say: No one except my free will is asking me to write anything or open anything. Same same in TSoH. No one asked you not to open any link except your free will which defines who you are and the meanings you give to your life and those close to you. Free will they say is the way God has distinguished man from animals.

Even as far down as the quantum level, Micha. where matter is not really matter anymore but what in the book of Ecclesiastes called Hevel (Hebrew)— haphazardly translated to ‘vanity’ but more ephemeral actually.

Using controls to experiment, light emitting from two different quasars yup really far far far away, they’ve essentially proven without a doubt entanglement, which means once observed an identical thing away becomes it. No free will. Ecclesiastes was correct. the most Zen book in the Bible.

With all that said, I did open the link, free will or not, and it was fine. My suggestion though, if you only have so few signatories, don’t list them forchissakes. Sun Tzu said, when few pretend to be many. 😉 I’m sure Sen. Trillanes would agree with me. Military these academes are not.

@Sonny mentioned of “unified epistemology” in the previous blog article.
The Bible – specifically the King James – came to my mind.
It is unified (and complete).
God warns: Don’t add to or take away from it.
(See Revelations 22:18, 19)

Regarding free will, can we really know? The Bible says,
“If any man think he knoweth anything,
he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”
1 Corinthians 8:2

@Micha
“You think you have free will on the manner, circumstance, and time you were conceived and born?”

We can talk about free-will in the abstract and also free-will in reality; your question is about free-will in the abstract; while in reality free-will as a faculty of a real person inheres to a real person from conception through biological development at the age of reason until adulthood then diminished at old age. This is one way I look at the nature of free-will. The biological trajectory of development we do share with the rest of the animal world, while free-will a spiritual faculty and together with intelligence sets us apart from the rest of the animal world. Everyday experience shows us exercising free-will.

“free-will a spiritual faculty and together with intelligence sets us apart from the rest of the animal world. “

Will she have free will, sonny? I don’t think so, neither do Mongoloids though I’ve seen some with about age 10 intelligence, but when puberty hits them (their body), they are humping just like dogs hump human legs, no regard for decorum.

Free will IMHO is not abstract it’s measurable (quantum level as above, but like you say in everyday behaviour too). You compare a dog just a regular house dog, and they are waaaay behind a regular house cat, which has tons more free will, ie. I’m gonna take a 2 week vacation , don’t come back home, then just show up with a dead bird in my mouth, all disheveled , I guess a souvenir for the home owner.

the most you can say about a dog is how loyal they are.

You look at a crow and you see intelligence hence free will, pigeons and seagulls not so much intelligence thus less free will, the ability to make choices. A human with severe head deformities and/or mental retardation won’t have intelligence thus no free will as well.

In the end what is free will? the ability to chose good from evil, but then what is good and evil. A mongoloid whose just hit puberty sees a nice photo in Maxim magazine in the local library, commences beating the rod— is that free will??? is that good or evil??? Did he get a choice in the matter???

There is much to sort and reflect on in the Atlantic piece. I will take a 2nd and 3rd pass on it. The Scientific American essay is more relatable to me because I have had one or two episodes of the “postdictive” warp/overlay the author talks about. Lately at this age I have had delays in transitioning from sleep to waking consciousness. Once or twice. Of course, having next to nothing in neuroscience, I have only Freud’s trio (id, ego, superego) and some reading on the myelin sheath of neurons to think about and use as background references to the Sc. American article.

On the side, obtain (if you haven’t already) and read Asimov’s THE COLLAPSING UNIVERSE. Great stuff! (Amazon has the hardcover only, my paperback is almost falling apart)

For those making comments here that say there is no free will, I take it that there is a predetermined Darwinian force that cause them at a precise space and time, to bring out their device and type their comment in this blog.

Very good. We have no control over a lot of things, including our parentage, but free will means we have the power to control our own behaviors within the chamber of horrors that does not always do as we wish.

In short, there is your will (human will, assumed that no other animals have it) and there is God’s will. the question you should be asking is how much of your own will are you working with here , and how much of it is God’s will (ie. fortune, determinism, etc.).

If you train a monkey to punch at the keyboard, is he exercising free will??? or is he simply pounding the keyboard? what’s the difference? if you recall, a monkey throwing darts at the stock pages of the Wall Street journal, is just as successful investing, maybe more. 😉

But to connect it and compare it to Filipinos’ inactivity, vs. HK kids’ activity, Nietzsche already called it,

Joe & Chempo, ever since accepting to write something about free will for a TSoH essay, the resource materials on the topic have done only “entertained” me no end, like a diabetic in a candy store: can taste but must not eat like a meal. The common sense logic from chempo and you convinces me that “proving” free will exists is like explaining whether we are alive or not, i.e. that we’re doing it, is proving it, QED.

When you taught the monkey to throw the dart at the board, he was learning a skill.
Did you force him to throw?
He threw the dart because he wanted to throw it. (Especially if there is a reward).
He could have sulked and gone to a corner and scratch his b…s.
In other words, he had the free will to throw darts or scratch b…s.

This refers to Micha’s comment on the fact we have no free will on our birth – we did’t choose our parentage. That was’nt about our free will – you can’t own something pre-existence.. It’s about our parents free will. Of course we know under the Dems, it’s becoming the Govt’s free will.

“He could have sulked and gone to a corner and scratch his b…s.
In other words, he had the free will to throw darts or scratch b…s.”

Exactly the point I want to make, chemp!

human free will and non-human free will are same-same, it’s all about choices we make, the more intelligent the choice the more we can label it “free will”, ie. breathing is not “free will”, so are nocturnal emissions, menopause, etc. etc.

and that’s why above I referenced Zika affected babies and Down syndromed (not the high functioning ones, but the very low) , and asked do they have free will?

So do you agree that animal free will (of which we are part of) is same-same??? 😉

But let’s not just yet jump the gun here, let sonny write his article and we’ll have at it there— you can unpack all your anti-Darwin stuff again. I’m reading a bunch of quantum physics (for mass consumption, not monographs) , in preparation for sonny’s blog, so we’ll have fun then.

here’s his description of the Last Man. pretty spot on me thinks. that, we are either great, or just another animal in the animal kingdom– just more appetite for destruction, is all.

But my point, starting with the Zika baby is that man is simply just an animal, thus a chimp’s free will to throw darts and a human’s is essentially the same. it’s when you attribute divinity to your choices, that’s when people tend to confuse free will.

PLEASE, PLEASE GUYS of intellect in TSOH, discuss the item below, shred it to pieces with the integrity and honesty of your reason (also may be a myth). If you guys are are asked DIRECTLY did you in the recent or long past accept even just little dirty MONEY and with it bought something for your family, it will be nice to know how you justify it with the eche bucheche of quantum physics, asrtonomy, genetics. etcetera. If you don’t want to, you missed the chance to confirm or confute what those in UP NCPAG have placed in black and white. C’mon, read and scissor it to pieces with your facts and brilliance. Do you think these signatories had accepted dirty money in the past? Go open the link for more ammo.

October 3, 2018 at 6:21 pm

We, concerned faculty members, staff, students and alumni of the National College of Public Administration and Governance and the University of the Philippines strongly condemn and oppose the selective application of the rule of law and the singling out of the opposition to the Duterte Administration. The recent revocation of the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the order for his arrest are illustrative of the blatant attempt by the Duterte administration to stifle dissent and suppress opposition.

This is just the latest in an increasingly long list of repulsive acts which not only targeted the opposition but also weakened and disregarded the independence of institutions and the sanctity of the checks and balances among the three branches of government. The latter includes the arrest and incarceration of Senator Leila de Lima on the basis of seemingly trumped-up charges (Legislature), the unseating of Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno based on constitutionally-infirmed grounds (Judiciary), the continuing insults on Vice-President Leni Robredo and other sinister efforts to undermine her position as the legitimate constitutional successor. These acts are dictatorship in progress.

The revocation and arrest order are also seeming diversionary moves to cover up for, or divert attention away from, the many issues and ‘failures’ of the Duterte administration, among which are: Its inability to stop the alarming rise in the prices of prime commodities and the cost of living The brutal killing of thousands of Filipinos, most of them poor, on mere suspicion and on the say-so that they are drug users and “nanlaban”

The abuse in the appointment to high government posts of even incompetents and misfits who merely contributed to the presidential campaign Zero corruption as a show of publicly shaming political appointees and then recycling them to less visible but no less lucrative positions in government The erosion of public values through Duterte’s verbal abuse of his many enemies, real or imaginary, as well as his continuing assaults on religion, women, and institutions
The personal and unilateral foreign policy shift to China, resulting in unwittingly surrendering our territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea

We therefore enjoin all principled and patriotic Filipinos to oppose this latest act of the Duterte administration and to be continually vigilant against the latter’s intensifying assault on human rights, rule of law and democracy.

We urge the protection of public institutions and public servants from partisan politics and undue interference so that they can assert their independence, be accountable public servants and not the trolls of the powers-that-be.

Let us help in restoring the majesty of law and the nullification of the revocation of amnesty of Sen. Trillanes IV. We urge all Filipinos to rally behind our crusade for good governance.
We also commend the Senate of the Philippines for maintaining its independence and protecting the dignity of democratic institutions in the country.
Signatories:

With due respect Micha I never said or write any where I was born of my own free will. Because I think I am the result of the meeting of a sperm from my Itay and the ovum of my Inay. That is the truth and that makes everything you say from a lie are packs of lies.

According to Plato, all souls drank from the river of Lethe. One sip and all memories are lost. Also known as river of oblivion. Thus Popoy has no idea if he exercised free will coming into the earthly world.

Micha says:
August 22, 2019 at 9:15 pm
Sorry popoy but free will is a myth. No such thing as free will.
You were born not of your own free will.

Sorry Micha I have to ask you: WHERE AND WHEN did write or say I was born of (from) my own free will? Where have I claimed such preposterous lie?

After that you are no more than a constituted matter that is a slave to
your hormones and genetic predispositions

If I may ask Micha how in consternation that my being a constituted matter can be RELATED to what those UP NCPAG signatories are yaking and yaking about? Are you in Makilala orMatina? when we are ruminants chewing cod in Divisoria.

If I may ask Micha how in consternation that my being a constituted matter can be RELATED to what those UP NCPAG signatories are yaking and yaking about? Are you in Makilala orMatina? when we are ruminants chewing cod in Divisoria.

Lance, Sir. I clicked my heels and stand at attention but didn’t raise my right hand to my right eyebrow in salute of the undeserving so I switched to parade rest, Sir.

Sir, you wrote in part, ‘With all that said, I did open the link, free will or not, and it was fine. My suggestion though, if you only have so few signatories, don’t list them forchissakes. Sun Tzu said, when few pretend to be many. I’m sure Sen. Trillanes would agree with me. Military these academes are not.’

sir, SIR how many is “so few signatories” ? Sir, one is just one, few is more than three, five or more is several sir. more than ten is many sir. a hundred or more sir is a multitude. Thousands are huge sir. Sir a squad leader knows his objective, where to attack and neutralize. The squad doesn’t tarry in the mangrove swamp when the objective is on the opposite river bank. Sir the objective is to make mince meat of what these signatories are saying in their manifesto which can be full of holes and soaking wet. It is the message, not the messenger. Nonetheless, they are more than MANY sir if you read to the long end of the link. Sir, a few (only) of those who really know Trillanes may not even be SURE Trillanes will agree with you.

Sir, These civilians academics unless they are teaching in military academies do not suffer the disadvantage of having what they call “military minds”. Thank you sir.

And If I may add; thanks to the the balance scheme of existence these military professors do not suffer the disadvantage of having what they call “civilian minds.” In a democracy this typology of minds is crucial to be in dynamic homeostasis balance. NOT SO in communistic or authoritarian applied ideology; or systemic dictatorships.

Sun Tzu could really be effective to a President as a big country pretend to drumbeat small country’s inferiority at the same time it encourages the subservient President’s arrogance. This statement can easily blossom into fake news.

“The Art of War [by Sun Tzu] was not admired by all. Followers of Confucianism took exception to the use of deception which they considered as contrary to gentlemanly conduct. Another critic was Han Fei Tzu, an influential philosopher and advisor to King Cheng of the Ch’in state during the Warring States Period. Fei Tzu thought that the work neglected discipline as an important element in an army’s success and was not convinced by the argument that the limitation of war’s destructive consequences should always be in the thoughts of a commander.”

The little point is a big: SO WHAT?

as when POTUS warned Iran– which fondly calls US as Satan–Iran could be OBLITERATED. The tactics of battle has been erroneously called and worshipped by modern soldiers as Art of War which is really GENOCIDE called War. So the POTUS called off operations which could have cost 36? lives of Iranians. Soldiers of this age should not think as tactician zombies who lived 500 centuries before Christ and 2,019 years after Christ’s crucifixion. .

“the use of deception which they considered as contrary to gentlemanly conduct.” popoy has quoted his premise, essentially that lying is not good period, lying leads to fake news, and Sun Tzu is old news, etc. etc.

I’m saying in war, as in love…

it boils down to knowing how to leverage both , weakness and strength, karl. lies , truths, it don’t matter. Winning is all that matters in war (and in love 😉 ).

They are winner take all enterprise. Granted many people don’t see ’em as zero sum, instead see ’em as non-zero sum, which means win-win for everyone, happy all. This is what Sun Tzu deterred, don’t go to war, he said, beat them instead without firing a shot, but if you must, then win it at all costs.

Violence of action, and why i’m a fan of what DU30 did in Marawi, that’s commitment, if it was the American military, you’d have dithering. Thus something that could’ve been dealt with in a matter of months, is now going on for almost 20 years. GWOT for us.

Dragging something on for longer than necessary is more inhumane in the long run, karl. More death and suffering. That’s why in War (and in Love) you have to win decisively. Don’t dither.

I agree on war but have a hard time seeing love as a ‘winner take all’ enterprise. That isn’t love, it’s acquisition. Love is more a ‘give and take’ proposition, the fitting of two or more people into one harmonious and fulfilling life.

if a kid loses but has more percentage of wins, then I’m gonna assume he/she is not part of that 90%. If losing is a habit, then I’d just baby talk him and say he’s a beautiful snowflake to fluff and flatter, make him feel good.

If he’s not 90% then i’d push where necessary, coach where needed. Don’t make losing a habit. And when losing, learn so you don’t lose the same way again. Anticipate other ways of losing and correct.

For that hard working stoopid kid, I’ll probably encourage towards art or theatre. Can’t do a lot of harm there. Hitler, DU30 and Trump are that.

This is true back in the 1930s when diplomats were high falutin’ folks usually rich and/or schooled. Then as now they became civil servants (with posts in high comfy places reserved for political appointees, read folks who bank roll Presidents’ winning elections). But essentially old and new diplomats confuse diplomacy and war.

Yes, they are one and the same, continuation of the other. Diplomacy allows for non-zero sum outcomes, while War does not (or should not, this is where confusion of the two happens). If you’ve read Trump’s book, that is diplomacy in its truest sense though ideally should be done with better tone, ie.

the better diplomat should make the other go home thinking they came out with the best possible outcome, make them sell (lie) to their people that…

Sony Trillanes mellowed from a fighting Senator to an analyzing Professor. He is not hungered for political position giving way for Leni to survive until 2022 presidency. I agree with his lecture although until now its still unacceptable that Mar, Bam, Chel, did not make it to the Senate without doubting the results of 7 hrs glitch. I hope with all my heart that Duterte will continue to show his unpresidentiable points, his men and his family. We will help Leni as she is our hope in 2022 according to our Professor.
I wish the good Senator good health, safety and wisdom in all his endeavor!

I have seen how Leni speaks in her speeches, she lacks charisma, not articulate, i think she needs improvements in public speaking. Public speaking is one of the leader’s best asset in terms of casting the mantle of influence.

Why? You want her to slur, swear, using dirty talk, misbehave on stage by kissing men etc etc? She speaks clear, understandable, with style and everything else Duterte does not. Oh yes, most important she does not lie and changes her mind every day so she does not need 20 cabinet members to ”explain” what she said the other day. Good day to you Andres 2018.

I think the reading of VP Robredo is whatever the audience expects. Those of dignity see the charisma of dignity. She is extraordinarily articulate, it seems to me, which is why she is chosen to hand out the Magsaysay awards. Her policy positions are brilliant and consistent. So I see her differently.

Thanks for your comments on Leni, Andres. Let her work her magic amongst believers and nonbelievers. Working for the welfare of laylayan ng lipunan with her signature Angat Buhay project is the real Leni, the kind of leader any country should have. Spurned, her reputation besmirched, given a sustenanance budget, she has managed to make government relevant to the those who need it most. Public speaking savvy, if it’s not there yet according to you, will take care of itself. Thanks again.

I see the beginnings/continuation of the kind of governance the Filipinos want/need: monarchy, democracy, dictatorship, military junta; a fusion of these elements reflecting the history of our leadership, education, maturity, political will, theology, national spirit, socio-economic IQ, dominant technology. You name it. (This is my shopping list, anyway) PS. Contrast this to other countries that mark 70-something anniversaries.

VP Leni’s leadership is community- and consensus-based, echoing bayanihan, while the Marcosian and Dutertian models emphasize the datu who gives orders. Of course colonization favored command and control as the part of the culture more compatible to the Western model than the community aspect, just as Spanish and Moro patriarchy weakened the role of women in all parts of Philippine society except.. at home.

With recent headlines showing the most abusive aspect of Filipino macho rulers in the person of Mayor Sanchez, a dose of the female principle may be exactly the antidote to toxic macho leadership that the Philippines could need now. Add to that VP Leni’s field experience. She is vastly more prepared than Cory.

the antis are mayhap looking for someone who does not exist, lol! someone yet to be born with all the accompanying accouterments of an all encompassing genius. such very tall order yan even for the antis to fill. and if the antis can find such genius of a person, could they please put that person forward? sure that the person will commit the 6yrs mandate, with maybe loss of personal freedom and privacy as well, on call 24/7 and available at all times of the day and night, all facets of life open and laid bare to the public, walang tinatago at walang tinatakpan, problems up to the eyeballs waiting at every turn, not one to run and hide at the 1st sign of trouble, besieged by false smiles and offering false friendship, yada, yada, yada, ow, and the pay is not that great. sa private sector, the pay would be around 4x more.

for me lang po, I will make do with who is available, and it’s leni for me. she has good work ethics, the patience and the fortitude, and a good listener too. unlike the one who listens only to what he wants to hear, his solutions to problems worse than the problems.

the antis must support leni, in the meantime. but if they think they can do better than leni, they should put themselves forward and let themselves be heard.

but in the meantime of all time, the antis must support leni. strongly recommended po.

the antis must not sabotage our chances of better government just because they’ll holding out for a mirage!

Here now comes Leni
Whose fate and destiny
Remains unknown to clueless many.
But to the few seeing eyes
Humbly imagine recent history. YES
There we go again forgetting to remember
“Beyond Forgetting” (a book of poems title)
that a plain house wife fluent in the language
of a country of love who got invited
to speak and be adored
before the Congress of USA,
who survived the many putsch
of AFP scalawags, she whose pious heart
wasn’t skilled enough to drive her guts
to tame a broken culture corrupted
by greed and shameless ignorance,
yet the world hailed her as
ICON of DEMOCRACY.
-4 am August 23, 2019

Events and people make history
which are food that nourish
the brains of philosophers;
which help scientists to establish
the truth about nature;

which time washes into conjectures
like your character is your fate
and your fate is your destiny;

which the passage of time constitute
WHAT YOU CAN DO OR FAILS TO DO
to come to the aid of your fellowmen.

Fate and destiny was all written for Leni
when her Jesse went missing and
Noynoy and Mar stayed with her
for days till everything was okay.

Leni’s fate and destiny then
became quite clear she will likely
replicate that of Cory and so are
all the events that might happen.

Wait and see. They who sleeps and
stay snoring in the noodle house
will one day wake up like Rip Van Winkle
to see the changes wrought by fate and destiny
brought down on the shoulder of a woman;
VP Atty. Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo.

Legend has it that the volcano with the perfect cone
is really named Magayon*, shortened to Mayon;
She gets you in the throat, you run short of words
when you see her in her glory, straddling the
Albay countryside, not really projecting her beauty
like with makeup and uplifts and those sort of things,
Magayon is just there; standing, or maybe reclining
like a queen, possessing the entire landscape,
all other elements in the same horizon just gaze
at her with awe and remembrance:
of the time you first beheld her presence when you
reach Ligao town, suddenly she appears,
a sculpture really, God’s own chisel at work,
fine detail I tell you, smooth as Bikolano friendship,
as memorable as pinangat, nothing like it
across all countries, nothing like it.

He reflects on how people have given up, cites his own decision to remain in the Philippines even though he could go anywhere, and sees hope in progressives like the new mayor of Manila and his (Heydarian’s) students. I wish the youth could have a break-out moment. The young man who got Bato to blow his stack could be such a prototype, smart, seeing the corruption, wanting something better . . . Hong Kong style. I think the leadership would have to come from that kind of viewpoint, strong and loud enough to rally the lazy and blind.

I felt some indictment in his words. The current leadership (PDu30, Sonny Dominguez, Art Tugade, et al., belong to our and parents’ generations) and many of previous admins (Arroyo, FM, FR, JE, and positions in between) have handed down to posterity a current state of affairs that have not generally ameliorated the quality of Philippine life. On the other hand I can see that many of our younger generations are “bettering” themselves in spite of the current lot that is being handed them by older generations in leadership. They are the hope and germ I include in prayer: for them to fluorish and prevail

I still do not understand how Trump was able to man-handle the Federal Reserve into lowering interest rates. Now he wants them even lower. Micha can explain the economics of it all, but I’m just in awe at how he was able to make them lower the rates.

It’ll be a Cold War of sorts but w/out ideologies, it’s kinda like California and Texas , you want capitalism controlled by the state or capitalism controlled by the corporations— that’ll be the China vs. US outlook.

US will reconsolidate with EU and Latin America, Then China will gobble up the rest of the world. Poof!!! No more trade war, because no more trade at all, but militarily speaking China will want to expand into outer space, if they make it to the moon first, they’ll be on Mars before us.

Some small wars here and there for resources here in the short term, but it’ll be resources out in outer space that’ll be in contest eventually.

SO don’t look at the trade war, look at where Xi is reconsolidating his troops,

“The Chinese military currently has five independent branches, including the army, navy, air force, rocket force – the strategic and tactical missile operator – and strategic support force, which is in charge of cyber, space, and electronic warfare.

The last two were established three years ago as President Xi stepped up efforts to modernise the military.”

and

“BEIJING: China’s military, the world’s largest force, has cut the size of its land-based army by about 50 per cent and significantly boosted its navy and air force as part of an “unprecedented” strategic shift designed to transform the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a comprehensive modern force.

In the 60s, the US and Soviets just wanted to race to the moon, now the new space race is about resources in space. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, and your regular gov’t contractors, like GE, Boeing, Lockheed, etc. will I’m sure step up, further accentuating the whole…

state sponsored Capitalism vs. privately sponsored Capitalism divide. My money is still on American ingenuity (but shudder at China’s ability to scale up, like ants building huge ant mounds)— ‘Wandering Earth’ we are not!!! LOL! 😉

I doubt they’ll be shooting satellites left and right, that’ll be a waste of energy. Everyone needs satellites, sonny. No more MAD because you’ll want to use nukes for outerspace now— finally a usefulness to nukes never before conceived.

As for quantum computing, that’s still years away (Santa Barbara is ground zero for it), but that Bell experiment above (with lasers) that’s already being tested as the new method of encryption. Pretty cool stuff, this new Space Race will create. Very excited.

IF truth shall set you free, a repeat of heroic past
can and shall make a country free. – Popoy

whaddaayaah know written twelve (12) years ago

Oakwood Was Not a Waste

When in July 2003,
Three hundred officers and soldiers
Put their lives on the line
Marched to Ayala’s Oakwood
They expected it not to be a tragic waste
A waste of time, a waste of opportunity
A waste of honor, a waste of courage
A waste for a chance for the Filipino soldier
To shame and turn history on its head.
Marchers wrongly expected the Filipino soldier
To rise from their tombs of peace and dishonor
No, Not for a second or a tense moment
Never they thought it could be a waste of lives
Of the innocents or the combatants.
They hoped for a big chance of winning their cause
Without a shot being fired, without the lost of life and limb.
In this regard they were right and won their hopes
But lost their cause to oblivion.
When the Filipino love of his God
And his psyche for peace got the better of him
story has failed to give him
the patriot’s thirst for blood.

Trillanes and the other captains were right, dead right
No blood was spilled. There was not a waste of lives,
The days were hot, the nights cold and threatening
But like a play directed by Mr. History himself;
All is well as all last hours of the year have ended well
A victory by, of. and for evil.

Trillanes and the other captains were wrong, dead wrong
As the Filipinos wrongly rejoiced in Oakwood’s defeat.
It was the triumph of unlawful authority over
Lawful wishes of conscientious; It continued the hold
Of the strong establishment over the weak.
Praise the Lord! Oakwood was a whistle not a bomb,
Oakwood was not a waste. It was a gain,
Not a missed historic victory but a gain no less.
For peace because in hell there is always peace.

If Trillanes broke history, stood it on it on its empty head
And shot some rascals on the other side, brother against
Bad brothers, good brothers dying not for bribes but for the true law,
Then some Filipinos may hear for the first time the songs
And music in heaven, not the peace and sirens of hell.
Some gallons of blood, some amputated limbs and broken bones
Some body holes and exploded skulls, some taps for heroes.

Oakwood will not be waste, even deaths in Oakwood will not be waste.
Brother against brother, brother against bystanders
There will be no enemies except history. No beaten foe but history.
All the dead will be heroes from both sides, from bystanders.
Dying in Oakwood will be like dying in Flanders, in Normandy,
In Palanan, in Bataan. Oakwood will not be waste for the
Filipino, Oakwood will be gaining back in the eyes of the world
its lost honor, its lost soul.

Popoy has many names??? MRP had a couple, but that was because he was trying to fool Joe; Primer i believe if I remember correctly, had a name he logged on with here, but I think he mistook with some of his comment by logging into with another account, which made it real fishy. My lecture of him was more on the fishiness of it all. Wasn’t he an official or someone high up in gov’t??? then there was ip who was doing some sort of experiment that one time but outed himself. Popoy has always been popoy, no??? I know he’s logged on with other accounts but has always ID’ed himself as popoy.

As to poppy, he only told me not to ask what I already know, do I stopped.
This is all that I know of: neo,tweeto,Andy and popoy. I wonder why he submitted an article under his real name only to go back to his pen name.
Primer used to comment as karl popper and Nielsky other than that I dunno.

I am forced to use other names due to a desire to be able to break through obstacles to share my views. Popoy del R Cartanio comes from three good honorable persons from UP Col of Agriculture and one from UP NCPAG: Popoy was wannabe expert of animal husbandry was master artist of Thoroughbred and Arabian Horses, a former Paranaque Church acolyte and son of former Dean of UP College of Fine Arts; del R is the surname of an Upsilonian Art Editor of the UP Aggie Green and Gold college paper, Cartanio is a Vanguard brod who gave me rides in his small car and employed my younger brother to be pest control officer. The second Popoy is an apolitical academician who told me he didn’t realized attending Board of Regents meetings all over the country could very taxing. I and my comments I am careful to reflect the integrity and honesty of these guys. The blog is the Society of Honor and it has ONLY metamorphic meanings to me that I rigidly respect.

Now you guys have raked the popoy name into the quagmire of saintliness I shall not denigrate because I am no saint like you. If you say that’s not it, it’s OKAY. But if you say you still don’t understand, that’s an admission of ignorance and personal inadequacy to comprehend. Popoy is a messenger. Rake his name over the coals because his message is difficult to debunk and tear to pieces. If ignorance can’t override the message, the scums attack the messenger.

Put together in a book of compiled blogs, the writings of popoy and his many blog names might live on. Blogger’s names sometimes can’t be obliterated by blog gunslingers whose only skill is to pull the trigger and then extend the palm.

Popoy if its any consolation , I did clarify to karl that popoy has always been a consistent name with consistent commentary. In effect , defending your consistency and honour.

Now as for “popoy” word Tagalog for fucker, both noun and slur apparently, 1 and 2 definitions in said link, that was all news to me, but I don’t see it as mud dragging. the opposite, I see it as admiration , a term of endearment of sorts.

Please forgive Sup for posting that link above. and karl for bringing up the topic unnecessarily. 😉

Karl, my ideas and comments hopefully are positive and objective and interpreted as more important then MANY names. LIKE the message is more IMPORTANT than the medium (TSoH) and the messenger. In the same dire manner that the medium (Urban Dictionary) is as obnoxious and barbaric as the message and the messenger.

All I can say to Lance is you chose your battles:primer,MRP)rightly or wrongly it is a product of your choice.
I chose to bring it up, I got an answer I was longing for.
ps Lance
I may add Art of the deal to my list because I know it was not written by Trump.
First, I will finish Kissinger’s Diplomacy.

That’s very correct, karl. The guy that wrote the book for Trump, wrote the book (it was his ideas), and Trump screwed him over after. Trump knows nothing about the art of the deal, but he’s got the arm twisting right, just doesn’t have finesse.

? For what? For finding out what a urban dictionary said about a name? I already told that i have nothing against sir Popoy…i am shure he is older so that’s why i add the sir now..if i need to say sorry i posted a link i do right now but i posted it only because i was surprised about the meaning of the word popoy.

Maga in Pinas is swollen, in Merika MAGA is Make America Great Again.
History says it’s from sea to shining sea the East sunrise to the West sunset
from the beaches of the Atlantic to the rocky shores of the Pacific;
from the Civil War north to south to free the slaves to the mass exodus
westward to the rivers, plains, deserts and canyons of the continent
they were people of all colors Indians, Europeans, Asians, Latinos,
natives and immigrants, law abiders, law breakers all became part
of a unique effort to make the beginnings of Great America.

Watch how Italian spaghetti made the Gringo gun slingers
helped made America great before.

The blacks, people from Africa and elsewhere need special mention
from cotton, corn and wheat fields, men and women with the hoe
they labor and lost, they sweated and wept to live and die
along the yellowing pages of history, they certainly helped
to make America great hence and thenceforth.

Karl DO tell NEW young parents DON’T teach their babies how to FIST Bumps because it has already gained connotations and image of evil. Close Open, CLOSE OPEN TEACHES THEM the mirth and gleeful innocence of Cherubs. Close Open of the raised palm has been corrupted into an open palm waiting for something.

I didn’t get it when JoeAm many years ago wrote times there are when he burst into giggles reading eche bucheche in these pages. Certainly it will look funny when in any Visayan isle a Kano is seen teaching babies how to do CLOSE OPEN.

Your wit, Popoy, is deliciously dry, with mirth twisting mischievously about unconventional words, ducking and hiding to emerge in a burst of light or enlightenment. Sometimes I get lost in the forest though. No harm. No fowl.

“tell NEW young parents DON’T teach their babies how to FIST Bumps because it has already gained connotations and image of evil. Close Open, CLOSE OPEN TEACHES THEM the mirth and gleeful innocence of Cherubs. Close Open of the raised palm has been corrupted into an open palm waiting for something.”

popoy,

I’m familiar with that having seen even young moms (of the night) do that.

But the other thing Filipinos do over there, the guys that is, is teach babies to open palms, and the opposing index finger, touching opposing palm again and again. Once that is mastered, a conditioned question is asked,

What is momma’s problem , baby??? And the baby responds with said action. it’s lol, but sad at the same time.

to have time and patience
to tentatively end this thread
to be an INFORMED FREEMEN, citizen of the free world
might it help to listen, cogitate and digest
a few heart murmurs for liberty and prosperity:
thereby imagine when talent
made America Great just recently

It’s better to write it up as a blog here, or just in the commentary (i’m sure Joe won’t mind, he loves stuff like this).

Looking forward to it. But remember it’s about quantum entanglement, the Solvay conference was just where the debate over quantum entanglement started. I’m saying because there seems (without a doubt now) entanglement, there has to be

NO free will. That is, if at the quantum level it is so arbitrary, so must be at our level is my argument here.

Joe, can sonny blog his answers, or as commentary here??? Excited to debate this with you, sonny!

I’m no academic, just a PhD in Google, so for sure no background in the hard sciences (social sciences, so long as there’s stuff on Google about it I can manage, so too history and pretty much the liberal arts), please be gentle when it comes to technical stuff, but equally

punching below the belt I’ll definitely welcome if in the realm of philosophical and theological.

Hahaha… we’ll see how you do first, but there’s an elaborate hooding ceremony for all Google PhDs, i assure you. 😉 it’s no honorary degree, it’s something you have to strive for. Like Sup said below, it’s difficult work and injuries to your thumb and/or finger can happen. Lol…

Cant find it but I found this.
Thus is Joe talking to a first time visitor to tsoh at Raissa’s, we call him NH.

Joe America says

JANUARY 19, 2015 AT 2:07 PM

Thank you for stopping by. My sharp reaction to JBL is because I work diligently (yes it is work) to establish a framework for discussion that is honest and respectful. It is the way new knowledge is created and angry division avoided. The people contributing themselves work hard to do that. It is easy to take shots. It is hard to express conflicts delicately. Some of the hardest work has been done by a confirmed atheist (Edgar Lores) and a deeply faithful Catholic (sonny). Both are brilliant and good men, extraordinarily well read, and to watch them work through the issues . . . which they do now and then . . . is like watching a beautiful symphony orchestra perform. Percussion and violins alternately striking in clash, or humming in unison. Their hard work ought not be belittled, I think, nor should they be incited to arms.

Karl, you can say that again! As is the case of many of the blog’s articles, the one referred to immediately above — and its highly interesting, stimulating, enlightening comments — is a pure joy to read!

1. ACL rupture, docs said it was only sprain. Couldn’t be it just didn’t feel like it, my buddy thought, so Googled all possible knee injuries and how to self examine, for ACL you have patient lay down on back, take injured knee, bend and raise below knee, once raised pull from behind calf forward direction, that shows if ACL is ruptured or not (there is a name for this examination, i forgot). Yup positive for rupture. So buddy went to hospital and asked for dr. with ortho experience shared what he found out on Google. scheduled for surgery ASAP.

2. Achilles tendon rupture, again regular docs thought it was just a sprain. Googled symptoms and examinations figure out what was torn or rupture. For Achilles tendon, lie down on your stomach, with heel and feet dangling freely , then simply squeeze thick calf muscle, if feet doesn’t move, then it’s a complete rupture. Again, shared Google findings to the doctors and operation was scheduled— in this case timely discovery is crucial otherwise torn tendon will keep going up towards knee.

So, if you know what to search for, Google is a big help. These two examples, it was my buddies that self diagnosed, because most doctors unless they are trained in ortho or sports medicine will not know how to manipulate certain muscles to determine connectivity and magnitude of injury. Using Google and youtube, they found out.

Caveat, if one has a competent doctor in town. Provincial Philippine doctors dispense pills overmuch and don’t advise on side effects, which can be worse than the disease. Google leads to medical sites where knowledge is available.

Also, Joe, at least over here, now where when doing medical examinations their handy laptop is just right there, patient, doctor & Google (or some specific medical search engine). doctors are actually Googling themselves in front of patients. i know i know, they spent years in med school, so not all Google searches are equal.

My point, Google’s a tool, it’s neither good or bad. If the stuff you find in Google strengthens your case, then good. It’s up to differentials and counterfactuals to balance out, then your end conclusion then finally action. I’m happy with Google, sure Google was better in the early 2000s, but Googling as means to knowledge is valid.

p.s.— there are a bunch of doctors nowadays from India over here, straight Indian doctors and they bring their cultural hang-ups with them, ie. i’m the doctor, you’re the patient, you know nothing bs. Google levels the playing field, where you as patient can spout off your own personal research, and have the doctors do actual work now, instead of their tired Wizard of Oz act.

But honestly, Sup, just use the up and down arrows on your keyboard. But I know what you’re talking about, I’m always switching hands with the mouse for fear of something like carpal tunnel syndrome, but with the mouse, always cupping it and scrolling, so unnatural movement for the hand to do. I fear i might have permanent damage, so i’m always mixing it up.

But if I do rupture or tear a tendon in my hand, I’m for sure gonna Google first my injury, instead of letting these Indian (from India) doctors possibly do more damage to my hand, no confidence with these Indian doctors.

We had good articles and discussions on what to do, we can zoom in to the first few articles after the mid term elections including the one sent by former senator now professor Trillanes.

Our TSOH Manila peeps met when we said a little prayer for our very missed Edgar, Wil asked the same question on what to do, first Continue with what we are doing, then we said we should meet more often, we are just waiting for Mary Grace’s retirement come October and we will have another mini reunion hopefully.
Seven hour glitch or not, we must not allow this 12-0 to happen again, and of course we must focus on Leni.

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